Santa Rosa County Emergency Management (SRCEM) through their partnership with Emerald Coast Healthcare Coalition (ECHCC) was able to donate four Pedi-Mate and four Neo-Mate Pediatric Restraint Systems to Lifeguard Ambulance Services.

ECHCC received the Pedi-Mate and Neo-Mate restraint systems through a grant after the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) identified a need within the emergency medical services (EMS) field in the region that ECHCC serves, which includes Santa Rosa County.

"We are happy to have been able to make this connection possible between Emerald Coast Healthcare Coalition and Lifeguard Ambulance," said Kevin Riley, plans chief for Santa Rosa County Emergency Management. "With this equipment, Lifeguard Ambulance will be able to safely secure pediatric patients to the stretcher for transport."

According to Lifeguard Ambulance Services, the Pedi-Mate Pediatric Restraint Systems is a safe and effective way to provide emergency transport of patients weighing 4.5-18kg (9.9 - 39.6 pounds). The Neo-Mate is used for patients as small as 2.3kg (4.8 pounds). Oftentimes, during an emergency, a parent may not have the child's car seat available or securing the child in a car seat does not provide emergency responders appropriate access to care and to treat the child.

At times this had led to the parent holding a child in their arms during transport. With the Pedi-Mate and Neo-Mates, Lifeguard Ambulance is able to safely secure the child to the stretcher while having access to treat the child in the most effective manner possible.

ASPR identified Pediatric Disaster Care as a gap for the Health Care Coalitions to address. The goal for addressing this gap identified by ASPR is to harness the best practices around disaster preparedness and response shared with children and non-children’s hospitals and affiliates.

Ann Hill and Kristopher Pickens with ECHCC met with SRCEM to discuss related topics and focus and identify what EMS might need to address the pediatric gap. ECHCC identified that six of the 10 counties they serve did not have Neo-Mate and Pedi-Mate in their ambulances. The counties that were addressed are Santa Rosa, Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Calhoun, and Liberty.

ECHCC will provide follow up training to the region's EMS and will address hospital pediatric surge gaps in the upcoming fiscal year.